Gotta Be You
by rugrat4eva
Summary: "I was just thinking about how different everything is now from October." She said and they all nodded. "I mean we just graduated from high school. In less than 2 months we're going to college." But what happens when they get there? **SEQUEL TO REALIZE**
1. Chapter 1

**So I feel really bad… I wanted to have a lot of this done by now, but things don't always work out as planned. I wanted to have this started and be on at least the third chapter (AKA finish writing what I outlined) by the time I went back to school and tomorrow is the last day of my first school week. I got sick the day before I went back to school so I haven't done much of anything other than go to school, do alittle reading, and sleep. But now that I'm feeling kinda better, I intend to be proactive and change things. So I'm posting the part that I have written (mainly I found a good cut off spot that I flows) and I'm updating cuz I haven't in a VERY LONG TIME… So, I hope that you still like it and that you're still interested and when I post the next chapter people aren't mad at me (I promise drama and a very interesting twist that might upset some people, depending on what side you're on in the whole Reid/Kelsey/Pogue situation)**

* * *

><p>Reid and Tyler pulled up to the Danver's estate and met Kelsey and Brooke at the door, the two of them in dresses with their cap and gowns on their arms. "What took you so long?" Brooke asked as they walked over to the hummer and Tyler sighed and pointed to Reid. "Overslept again?" Kelsey asked and Reid nodded and kissed her forehead. "You know you'll flunk out of college if you keep doing that." She said and Reid shrugged and smirked. "I'm not at college yet, Baby Girl." He said and Brooke snickered. "How you even got into college in the first place fascinates me." She said as Tyler wrapped his arms around her. "Where's Caleb?" He asked and Kelsey sighed. "He's gonna meet up with Sarah and Pogue and meet up with us in the quad before the ceremony." She said and Brooke rolled her eyes. "What is your issue with Caleb, B?" Kelsey asked and Brooke sighed. "Yeah he's been at the top of your shit list since the Christmas Party, Brooke." Reid said with a smirk on his face. "Caleb and I have our issues. That's no secret." Brooke responded and Reid chuckled to himself and Kelsey hit his shoulder. "Let's get going. We don't want to be late for our own graduation." She said and Tyler nodded. "Especially since we have the Salutatorian with us." He said, giving Brooke a kiss on the cheek and she shook her head. "Yeah they consider her to be special but not special enough to let her give her speech later in the ceremony. " Kelsey said and they laughed. "That's because they're sending Brookie a message. She may be special, but Caleb is more important than you." Reid said and Brooke gave him the finger as she got into Tyler's Hummer and Kelsey hit his shoulder. "That was rude." She said and got into the car as Reid began to stammer an apology out so he wouldn't be on his girlfriend's bad side. "It's okay Kels. I'm just glad Reid is graduating with us. For a long time there, I had my doubts and I was worried I was going to have to convince you to dump him because it's embarrassing to be in college and date a high school boy." Brooke said and Kelsey and Tyler laughed as they drove off and headed to Spencer Academy for the last time.<p>

"I can't believe this is the last time we're gonna be at this place." Caleb said walking around the quad with Sarah and Pogue. "I can." Pogue said and Sarah chuckled. "Spencer means a lot to me Pogue. I wouldn't have met you guys if I hadn't transferred in." She said and Caleb put his arm around her waist and kissed her head. "That's the good part of this." He said and Sarah smiled and looked up at him. "What time are they supposed to be meeting us?" Pogue asked as he looked down at his watch. "Kels said 8:30 but since Reid is probably driving, they should already be here." Caleb said and turned around, hearing Reid and Tyler screaming for them and seeing Kelsey and Brooke walking towards them. "Pick your jaw up off the ground." Pogue whispered to Caleb who was staring at the Brooke in her very nice dress. "You too." He said when he noticed Pogue's eye got big when he saw Kelsey in hers. "You girls look gorgeous." Sarah said, walking pass them to hug her friends. "Well we figured that since it's the last time we'll be seeing these people, we might as well give them a show." Kelsey said and Brooke chuckled. "And it's the last chance to make most of these girls hate us even more for looking way hotter than them." She said and Kelsey laughed and nodded in agreement. "I can't believe this is the last time we'll be students at Spencer." Brooke said as they all started walking towards the auditorium. "I'm just glad we're all going through this together." Kelsey said as Reid took her hand. "We almost didn't Miss 'I'm gonna go back to London because I think I'm causing too much drama for everyone around me'." Reid said and Kelsey hit her boyfriends' arm. "Shut it Mr 'The only reason I'm graduating is because my girlfriend forced me to actually do work and shock all the teachers by showing that I actually know stuff'." She said and everyone laughed. "I'll still never forget when Reid got an A on his English exam and our professor made him take it again to make sure he wasn't cheating." Pogue said and Reid shrugged. "At least it's over and done with now. College will be a whole different ball game." He said and they all nodded. "I still can't believe you two didn't get into Princeton." Sarah said, seeing the slight disappointment on Brooke and Kelsey's faces when college was mentioned. "It's okay Sarah." Kelsey said and Brooke scoffed. "Come on B, Yale isn't exactly a horrible school." Kelsey said and Brooke sighed. "I know. It's just that we've been talking about going to Princeton for years. My whole academic career has been based around us going to Princeton and we didn't even get in. I feel like a loser." She said, hanging her head down and Caleb chuckled at her over-dramatics. "You're being silly, Brooke." He said and Kelsey shook her head. "You'd be more heartbroken than me if you didn't get into Harvard, Caleb so don't even start." Brooke said and Kelsey nodded in agreement. "You'd be fetal Caleb and you know it." She said and everyone else laughed. "Let's just accept where we're going now and move on." He said as they all stopped walking once they got to the auditorium building. "We're about to start a whole new chapter in our lives. Let's not dwell in the past." He said and they all nodded. "Let's go graduate."

At the end of the ceremony, Kelsey lingered behind her now former classmates as everyone rushed out to the front yard to meet their friends and families. She walked slowly and was greeted by Brooke standing in the doorway waiting for her. "What's on your mind Kels?" She asked, wrapping her arm around Kelsey as she guided her outside. "It just hit me that we just graduated high school." She said and Brooke chuckled. "That's kinda what that 2 hour ceremony we just sat through was for sweetie." She said and Kelsey smiled and shook her head. "That's not what I meant B." She said and Brooke raised an eyebrow. "I mean look at how different things are from when I first came home. Things are relatively calm; peaceful even. That's a rare but surprisingly good thing to be able to say." Brooke nodded in agreement with her friend as they got outside and reached Sarah, Tyler and everyone else.

* * *

><p>"What took you two so long?" Caleb asked, looking back and forth from Brooke to Kelsey. "Kelsey was having a 'Not-even-a-quarter-of-life' crisis." Brooke said and Reid laughed. "Seriously?" He asked and Kelsey lightly hit his shoulder and rolled her eyes. "I was just thinking about how different everything is now from October." She said and they all nodded. "I mean we just graduated from high school. In less than 2 months we're going to college. Tyler finally made a move on Brooke. Caleb actually has a girlfriend." Kelsey said, making everyone laugh and Caleb shake his head. "Reid's not a whore anymore." Brooke said, smiling at Reid and he brushed it off. "Pogue dumped the drama queen and grew a pair." She said and Reid laughed. "Brooke is still a bitch." He said and Brooke smiled at him and gave him the finger. "And Kelsey is actually still here." She said and Kelsey laughed. "With everything that happened to you, I thought you would've packed your shit and went to like Dubai or something by now." She said and Kelsey laughed. "I've thought about it. But I'd miss you too much." She said, giving her best friend a hug that Brooke returned. "If you ever want to go to Dubai, say the word and I'll go with you." She said and Kelsey pulled away and looked at Brooke surprised. "Seriously?" She asked and Brooke just nodded her head and smiled. "What about Tyler?" Kelsey asked and Brooke shrugged. "He'll deal. He probably won't like you for a while but whatever." She said and Tyler nodded. "She's right. I wouldn't like you for taking her away." He said and glanced at both Pogue and Reid. "Don't do anything to make Kelsey want to leave the country. She'll take my girlfriend with her." He said and everyone started laughing. "This is nice. I like it when we can all laugh together. No magic, no psychotic stalker ghosts…" Kelsey started and Brooke butted in. "No trying to steal other people's girlfriends…" She said and put her head on Tyler's shoulder. "No drama. And that's how it should stay." She said and most of them nodded. "Kelsey's right. I mean yeah, some of us are going to school together, but it's gonna be a while until we all get together like this again. We need to make the most of this time we have left." Caleb said right as their parents walked over to greet them. "Picture time." Evelyn said and they all sighed and groaned. "We were kinda in the middle of something." Caleb said and Pogue's mother waved it off. "You can finish whatever it was later at that party you guys are going to. Now it's parental gratification time." She said and the other mother's agreed with her. "This is what we paid all that money for in tuition and dues." Tyler's father said. "You all owe us hundreds of thousands of dollars just for putting you through high school. Not to mention the money we're gonna pay for you to go to your big shot Ivy League schools. The least you can do is stand with each other and take some pictures for us to brag to our co-workers with to make them feel bad because their children aren't as smart or good looking as you guys." Brooke's stepfather said, making Kelsey laughed. "I love you Alec. It's time for the model face." She said and Brooke and Sarah both laughed and nodded in agreement as they all gathered around and began taking tons of pictures with their parents.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>So there it is. I said that the chapter was gonna be split in half (graduation and grad party) but it kinda changed to graduation, grad party and aftermath. Grad party and the aftermath will probably be the next chapter (or I might split them in half and it'll be chapters 2 and 3).<strong>

**I explained Brooke's parental situation in the one-shot (that I STILL haven't posted) but the jist of that tidbit of info is: her Dad is gay, walked out on her and her mother when she was 8 and moved to Montecito with his boyfriend. Her stepdad is Alec. They got married when Brooke was 9 and she sees him as her dad in "every way that matters".**

**I'm gonna try and post more when I can sit down and write but Junior Year in college = a whole lot of work so far and it's only been three days… But you gotta make time for the things you like and I can't study and watch two hours of tv all the time (I live tweet when I watch tv, so I can't hide that I do that instead of writing)...**

**Let me stop rambling… I think I've wasted enough space with Author Notes. I always make these long and I don't know why… ANYWAYZ… Leave me some feedback, tell me what you like, what you don't like, what you would like, if you want spoilers of next chapter… I'm pretty flexible with what I give away and only if you REALLY want it.**

**Until the next update…**


	2. Chapter 2

**So I'm happy to say that chapter 2 is done and it only took me a little over a week to post it … I feel so accomplished… ANYwhozzles, enjoy.**

* * *

><p>After the pictures were taken and all the hype from the ceremony died down, everyone separated to get ready for the grad party in the dells. Reid and Tyler were on their way to the dorms to get a few left over boxes out of their room when they overheard two girls talking about Kelsey and Pogue. "Did you see how he looked at her? He looked so in love." One of them said and the other nodded in agreement. "I know. They look so cute together. I don't even know why Kelsey is bothering with Garwin anyway?" The other said before Reid and Tyler walked in their room. "Don't listen to them man." Tyler said once they closed their door. "You and Kelsey are good together. She knows that and you know that." He said. "Are you sure about that?" Reid asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "What do you mean?" Tyler asked, leaning on his now empty desk. "If we're so good together, why hasn't she cut the cord with Pogue?" Reid asked and Tyler shrugged, not knowing what to say. "Exactly. I'm getting tired of waiting around for her to make up her mind." He said and Tyler raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?" He asked and Reid shrugged. "Let's just go and get ready for the party baby boy. I wanna enjoy myself." Reid said, picking up his boxes and heading towards the door.<p>

* * *

><p>Once they arrived at the graduation party, instead of staying together, everyone broke off into little groups. After about an hour, Kelsey grabbed Brooke from a group of random fellow graduates and started looking around for Reid. She saw Tyler standing over towards the woods with a few guys from their English class, just sitting back and observing the party, and headed over to him. "Baby Boy have you seen Reid?" She asked as she quickly scanned the party for the blonde boy. "Not since we got here, Kels. Sorry." He said giving her a sympathetic look. "He was acting a little strange before we got here too." He said and Brooke sighed and shook her head in disgust, catching both their attentions. "What's up Brookie?" Kelsey asked and Brooke pointed into the crowd of people on the makeshift dance floor at Reid all over a new friend of Kates'. "He couldn't have even waited until you two were in different states to do something shady." She said, folding her arms across her chest, mentally kicking herself for vouching for him and Kelsey to be together in the first place. "Brooke…" Tyler started, knowing that his girlfriend would quickly blow up and defend her friend but to both Tyler's and Brooke's surprise, Kelsey was the one who started maneuvering her way through the crowd towards Reid. Tyler and Brooke quickly followed her, not exactly knowing how Kelsey was gonna handle the situation.<p>

Once Kelsey got to Reid, he saw her and smiled at her, pulling away from the girl and leaning in to kiss Kelsey. "Hey baby." He slurred and Kelsey snickered in disgust. "You're hitting on another girl _and_ you're drunk. Nice Reid." She said and he laughed and rolled his eyes. "I don't know why you're so upset. I mean it's not like you aren't doing the same thing." He said and Kelsey looked around confused. "I'm not drunk out of my mind with some random girl's tongue down my throat." She said and Reid laughed. "No, but your options are open. And that's what I'm doing too." He slurred with a smile on his face and Brooke walked away in disbelief. "I'm gonna take him home." Tyler said. "Hopefully he'll sober up and you'll be able to talk to him then." He said, grabbing his shoulders and pushing Reid through the crowd and towards his car.

"I don't believe this." Kelsey said, running her hands through her hair and looking around for a familiar face. "Can't believe what?" She heard from behind her. She turned around and saw Pogue standing there with a serene look on his face. "Reid is drunk and hooked up with some random friend of your ex-girlfriend." She said and Pogue put his arm around her shoulder. "What do you want me to do about it?" He asked, perfectly prepared to punch Reid again, multiple times, if Kelsey said the word. "Take me home. I don't feel like partying anymore." She said and Pogue nodded, taking her arm and leading her though the crowd. "You know I'll go kick his ass if you say so." He said and Kelsey chuckled and nodded. "I know you will. But instant gratification won't fix things." She said and Pogue shook his head. "It would temporarily get that frown off your face. That would make me happy." He said and Kelsey smiled. "Thank you. But all I want right now is to not be here." She said right as they got to Pogue's motorcycle. "Do you wanna let Brooke know you're leaving?" He asked, handing her the extra helmet from under his seat and Kelsey shook her head. "She'll turn up at my house later. She's staying over." She said and Pogue nodded. "Regardless, text her or something so she doesn't think that I stole you and tries to hurt me or something." He said and Kelsey took out her phone and quickly texted Brooke. "Done. Now let's go." She said seeing him nod and they got on his bike and drove away.

* * *

><p>Brooke wandered through the crowd after seeing how fast it took Reid to revert to the person he used to be and began mentally cursing herself at the fact that she actually went to bat and defended him and his relationship with Kelsey for months only to have them both look foolish. She headed towards the drinks and spotted Caleb and Sarah at the end of the table. "Having fun?" Sarah asked as Brooke sarcastically chuckled then picked up a drink, quickly drunk it, and picked up another one. "I'm having a blast." She said and Sarah looked up at Caleb, alittle concerned. "Where's Tyler?" He asked and Brooke sighed. "Taking the drunk asshole home." She said and Caleb raised an eyebrow. "Reid?" He asked and Brooke nodded. "What about Kelsey?" he asked and Brooke hesitated and pulled out her phone when she felt the vibration in her pocket. "She's… On her way home. Pogue is taking her." She replied and Caleb let out a sigh of relief. "Then I'll take you both home. Now before you drink yourself into a coma." He said taking the drink from Brooke's hand and leading her and Sarah to his car. "Are you staying at Kate's or going to the same hotel as your parents?" Caleb asked Sarah as both girls got in the car. "Hotel." She said and Caleb took off.<p>

* * *

><p>After Caleb dropped Sarah off, Brooke got into the front seat and leaned her head on the dashboard. "You always were a lightweight when it came to drinking." he said, half laughing to himself and Brooke just sighed. "You're lucky the ringing in my ears hurts too much for me to fight with you." She said and Caleb started to rub her back, only to be pushed away by Brooke. "Don't do that." she said and Caleb sighed in defeat and began driving.<p>

"Why do you hate me so much?" He asked and Brooke stayed silent. "Kelsey and Pogue are able to be friends with all the awkwardness in their relationship. Why can't we?" Brooke raised her head and turned to Caleb. "I'm not Kelsey and you're not Pogue." she said before turning to look out the window. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Brooke sighed and turned to Caleb, knowing that this was something they were gonna have to deal with. "I never said I hated you." She said and Caleb chuckled. "You didn't have to Brooke. The hate radiated from you." He said and she sighed. "Well I don't hate you." She said, turning to face him. "It's quite the opposite actually." She said and Caleb raised his eyebrow. "You're very important to me Caleb. And I don't know what's going on in your head, but I was mad at you for what you pulled at Christmas." She said and Caleb nodded knowingly. "When we kissed." He said and Brooke shook her head. "No. When _you_ kissed _me_. Why would you do that?" She asked and Caleb sighed and looked ahead at the road. "I don't know yet." He said and Brooke nodded. "Well, when you do, let me know. I would actually like things to go back to normal with us." She said and Caleb looked shocked. "What is our normal?" He asked and Brooke sighed. "Our normal bickering and arguing but we forget about it at the end of the day selves." She said and Caleb lightly smiled. "Because we're friends?" He asked and Brooke shook her head. "Because we're family." She said leaning back into the passenger seat. "So get over this little momentary lapse of crazy and don't fuck with the program." She exasperated and Caleb laughed and nodded. "Will do." He said as they pulled into his drive way, seeing Pogue's motorcycle by the front door. "Looks like they're already here." Caleb said as he and Brooke got out the car. "Where do you think they are?" She asked and Caleb shrugged his shoulders. "Probably the main living room." He said and Brooke nodded in agreement. "It's closest to the kitchen. You're right." Brooke said, walking with Caleb into the house.

* * *

><p>Kelsey walked into the living room and threw her bag on the coffee table and laid on the couch. "This has been a crazy night." She said, pulling one of the pillows from behind her head and putting it over her face. Pogue laughed and pulled the pillow away and hit her with it. "Stop being over-dramatic, Kels. It wasn't that bad." He said, moving her legs and putting them in his lap as he sat down. "Having fun you two?" Brooke asked, as she and Caleb walked in the room. "Not really." Pogue said, hitting Kelsey with the pillow again and Caleb laughed. "Movie?" Brooke asked and Kelsey shook her head. "<em>Movies<em>. We need to stay occupied for a while, B." She said and Brooke nodded and headed towards the movie collection. After picking a few DVDs out of their place, she put one in and took a seat by Caleb and they all watched the movies. About halfway through the second movie, they were all asleep in the living room.

The next morning, Kelsey was the first to wake up, using her foot to wake up her brother and sleeping friends around her. "When did we go to sleep?" She asked as they all groggily began to stur. "Sometime between "She's All That", "Disturbia", and "Step Up"." Brooke said before putting her head on Caleb's shoulder. "Good to know." Pogue said and Kelsey chuckled and hit his shoulder. "Who's making coffee?" Caleb asked and Brooke and Kelsey looked at one another and pointed at one another. "I don't wanna do it." Kelsey said and Brooke sighed. "I'm too hung over to do it." She said, but turned when she heard the door open. "Well then isn't it a good thing that we brought coffee with us?" Tyler said, standing next to Reid in the doorway. "I'm sorry we interrupted your little slumber party." Reid said and Kelsey just sighed and buried her face in a nearby pillow out of frustration.

* * *

><p><strong>So there it is… If you didn't know, I made Caleb kiss Brooke in a X-Mas themed One Shot that I wrote in 2010… (It's not up anymore, but If you want to read it, let me know and I'll post it)<strong>

**The next chapter will have a lot of drama in it… I have it outlined and I'm excited to write it…**

**I'm also updating my Polyvore page for the outfits from these first 2 chapters. The link is on my profile…**

**Until next time my friends**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, it's been a while since I posted something. I was gonna hold off on posting until Spring Break (two weeks away) but I changed my mind for a few reasons: A) I had just finished writing a paper and I couldn't sleep, B) I had already started writing this chapter in bits and pieces and wanted to get all the stuff for it out of my head before I forgot, C) I really started missing my characters, and D) I was just in the mood to write. So I hope you enjoy chapter 3 :)**

* * *

><p>'Don't mind us. Really it's fine." Reid said, leaning against the doorway of the living room, causing Kelsey to roll her eyes. "What are you even doing here?" She asked, moving from next to Pogue on the couch. "I came to apologize for last night. But from the looks of things, it probably doesn't matter." Reid said and desperately looked over at Brooke for some kind of help. "You're not making me look like an ass again, Garwin. You're on your own." She said then looked over at Tyler, seeing the morose look on his face. "Baby, what's wrong?" quickly moving from next to Caleb and over to Tyler concerned. He didn't say anything but Brooke knew that there was something weighing heavy on his mind. Without another word, Brooke took his hand and began walking to one of the empty rooms of the house. "Do we get to talk to or are you just gonna sit there?" Reid asked and Kelsey sighed and reluctantly got off the couch and left the room with Reid, leaving Pogue and Caleb both pondering with the events that just went down.<p>

* * *

><p>Brooke led Tyler into the kitchen and sighed as she saw the look on his face. "Why are you upset?" She asked and he just sighed. "Aren't I supposed to be the moody one in the relationship?" She asked and a small smile came on his face. "It's nothing really." He said and Brooke shook her head. "It's not "nothing" if it's making you like this." She said, reaching over the table and taking his hand. "I was just thinking about how things are gonna be when we're in college." He said and a confused look came across her face. "What does that have to do with anything?" She asked but realization hit her once the question came out of her mouth. "You think I'm gonna dump you." She said and Tyler looked away. "What have I done to make you think like that?" Brooke asked as Tyler walked over towards the window. "Nothing. Brooke you haven't done anything." He said and Brooke walked over to him confused. "Then why do you think I would even want to break up with you?" She asked and he shrugged. "I can feel you drifting away from me already." He said and Brooke put her hand on her hip. "Is this about the Dubai joke from yesterday?" She asked as she desperately tried to wrack her brain on what might've made Tyler think she wanted out of their relationship. "Or does this have something to do with Caleb?" She asked, remembering the look on his face when he saw how comfortable they were together when he came a few minutes ago.<p>

Tyler didn't respond right away, trying to find the right words to express his thoughts. "I don't wanna make this difficult for you, Brooke. If you have feelings for Caleb…" He started, but was cut off by Brooke's lips on his. After a few minutes, Brooke pulled away and buried her head in his chest. "I love you, Tyler Simms. I don't know how you got the idea that there was some kind of romantic feelings between me and Caleb but there isn't. At least not on my part. I want to be with you." She said and Tyler wrapped his arms around her. "Are you sure?" He asked and Brooke looked up at him slightly offended. "If I wasn't I wouldn't be here with you right now." She said and he kissed her forehead. "We'll make things work through school. We'll make this work through anything. Don't doubt us, Ty. We have something special." She said and he nodded and let out a sigh of relief. "You don't know how good it feels to hear you say that." He said and Brooke lightly laughed and pulled away. "I'm a little offended that you questioned me in the first place." She said jokingly and Tyler shook his head. "I don't know why. You could have just about any guy that you want. I thought you were getting tired of me." He said and Brooke shook her head and smiled. "That will never happen. If anything, you'll get tired of my big mouth and the bitchy things that tend to come out of it sometimes." She said and Tyler laughed and pulled her back into his arms. "Don't talk like that about the girl I love. I love when you talk bitchy. It's very sexy" He said and Brooke laughed as he kissed her.

"So just for clarification…" Tyler said, breaking the kiss and Brooke sighed. "Don't make me hit you." She said jokingly and he smiled. "I just wanna make sure…" He tried again and Brooke rolled her eyes. "You're acting like the girl in this relationship right now." She said and Tyler looked at her offended. "Would you rather I didn't care about losing you?" He asked and Brooke shook her head. "But you're not going to so there's really no reason for you to worry." She said, playing with the buttons on his shirt. "That's all I needed to know." He said and she giggled. "Stop being a girl and kiss me." Brooke said and Tyler smiled and obliged.

* * *

><p>Caleb turned out of the doorway and let Brooke and Tyler have their moment together. He couldn't help but feel upset over their declarations of love for one another for some reason. 'I don't even know why I'm upset right now. I don't even know why I followed them.' He thought to himself as he started walking back to the living room. 'Do I have feelings for Brooke?' Caleb ran his hands over his head and let out a frustrated sigh. Then his mind went instantly to Sarah. She had been so supportive and understanding through everything that happened this year and the last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. He cared a lot about Sarah but these feelings he's having for Brooke were starting to become stronger than what he felt for Sarah. He hated listening to her telling Tyler that she loved him. He felt jealous seeing them kiss and embrace and he didn't want to admit why he was but deep down, Caleb knew. He wanted to be the one kissing Brooke. He wanted to be the one she looked at as lovingly as she did Tyler. He wanted to be with her. And he knew it was just a matter of time before his feelings became an issue for everyone, but because of how happy and in love they were, Caleb decided to keep his mouth shut until he got to the point where he couldn't stay quiet anymore.<p>

* * *

><p>Kelsey and Reid were both silent during the walk to an empty room. Kelsey turned into the study and quickly sat on the desk and sighed. "You're a ass." She said and Reid chuckled. "I know." He said and Kelsey ran her fingers through her hair. "And a complete Dickhead. Why would you do that? Why would you make out with some random slut and then act like it's no big deal?" She asked and Reid sighed and leaned on the couch. "Because I was upset. I overheard some girls saying some stuff…" He said and Kelsey looked at him questioningly. "What kind of stuff?" She asked. "You and Pogue kind of stuff." He said and Kelsey put her head down and sighed. "So, you got wasted and cheated on me because of random gossip?" She said and Reid shook his head, starting to get frustrated. "I did it because you haven't picked me yet." He said and Kelsey looked at him shocked. "I'm your girlfriend aren't I? How is that not picking you?" She asked, getting upset and Reid chuckled. "Yea you're my girlfriend. But the second we have some kind of problem, you run to Pogue. You ALWAYS run to Pogue!" he exclaimed and Kelsey looked at him shocked. "You said that you understood that I still have residual feelings for Pogue. But as long as I loved you more, it's okay. What happened to that?" She asked and Reid sighed. "I don't think you love me more. I think you love us both the same and you have no clue what to do." He said looking at Kelsey for an answer but she couldn't look at him. "And you can't look at me because I'm you know that I'm right." He said and Kelsey shook her head, on the verge of tears. "Where is this even coming from?" She asked, blinking away the tears. "We were fine yesterday." She said and Reid ran his hands through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh. "I'm tired of being strung along Kelsey! I'm tired of waiting for you to cut the extra person out of our relationship!" He said and Kelsey looked at him, starting to get angry. "You really think that's what I'm doing?" She asked, getting off the desk and looking at him. "I don't know what to think anymore, Kels. So we'll just see what happens." He said and Kelsey crossed her arms. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked and Reid shrugged. "We'll have fun this summer and then in the fall whatever happens, happens." He said and Kelsey closed her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. "What happened to the guy who said he'd fight for a future with me?" She asked and Reid sighed. "I don't want to fight a stalemate anymore, Kels." He said and she wiped the tears that started to fall from her eyes. "And I don't want to be in a half-ass relationship." She said and Reid looked up confused. "What does that…" He asked and Kelsey cut him off. "It means there's no seeing what happens in the fall. If you feel the way you do, there's no reason to drag out the relationship." She said and Reid's eyes grew wide. "Kels…" He started and Kelsey shook her head. "Let's just end it now and save us both the drama."<p>

Reid wiped his face and shook his head. "I don't want that." He said and Kelsey looked confused. "You just said…" She started but he cut her off. "I know what I said. I said those things because I thought that I was losing you." He said and Kelsey scoffed. "So you said that you were basically done with our relationship because you thought that you were losing me to Pogue?" She asked, slightly amused with how Reid flipped everything he was saying when she wanted to end things. "Yes. Those girls struck a nerve in me, Kels. I love you too much." He said attempting to move over to Kelsey but she took a step back when he did. "You of all people should know not to listen to the gossip around the dorms." She said, recalling all the stories that she heard about Reid and his sexcapades once she got back to school that turned out not to be true. "I usually don't. But it whenever you're involved, I get insecure and doubtful and…" He started and Kelsey cut him off. "Vulnerable." She said and Reid nodded. "I know the feeling all too well. But it's good to know that I'm under your skin." She said and Reid began moving towards her with a smile on his face. "I've never been this way with another person, Kels. And it scares the fuck out of me. So when I heard what they were saying and let myself fathom the idea of not being with you…" he started and Kelsey closed her eyes, knowing what he was about to say. "You sabotaged yourself because it's easier to hurt someone than be the one hurting." She said and Reid nodded. "I'm so sorry, Kelsey." He said, taking her hands in his.

"Am I interrupting something?" Pogue asked, walking into the room and sitting on the couch. "Yeah you are." Reid said and Pogue shrugged his shoulders. "Well you did earlier so it's only fair." He said with a smug look on his face and Reid let go of Kelsey's hands and walked over to Pogue. "You need to go back to the living room, man. We're in the middle of something." He said and Pogue stood and sarcastically stroked his chin questioningly. "From what I heard, things were ending and I thought that Kelsey could use a friend." He said and Reid scoffed. "A friend?" He said and Pogue nodded. "Yes. Just like I was her friend last night when I brought her home after you had your tongue down some girls throat and upset her." Pogue said and Reid got in his face. "You just want to make sure you're there when she hurt so it's easier to make a move on her then. That's low, Pogue." He said and Pogue chuckled. "I don't make moves on girls when they're upset. The feelings aren't real and they're too easy and willing. But then again, with the long list of drunk girls you picked up at Nicky's, you probably knew that." He said and Reid sarcastically smiled. Then out of nowhere, Reid swung and hit Pogue in the face. Instead of letting the shock wear in, Pogue punched Reid in the jaw. Reid then tackled Pogue to the floor and they began fighting.

Kelsey starting yelling for them to stop but they weren't listening to her. Then she flashed her eyes and both guys went flying to opposite sides of the room. "What is your problem?" She asked, standing in the middle of the room so they couldn't charge at each other. "This needs to stop." She said and both boys nodded. "Then you need to make a choice." Reid said, partially out of breath and Pogue nodded in agreement. "He's right, Kels. It's either me or him." He said and Kelsey shook her head. "You're putting me on the spot? Now?" She asked and they both nodded. "Fine. I pick no one." She said and they looked at her confused. "What?" Pogue asked. "Babe, that wasn't one of the choices." Reid said and Kelsey folded her arms across her chest. "I'm tired of all the drama and the fighting. Look at what it's doing to you guys." She said, looking at both their faces. "As much as I want to be with you both, I don't want to deal with the drama even more." She said and they both looked at each other angrily. "This is your fault." Reid said and Pogue shook his head. "Who threw the first punch, Dickhead?" He asked and Kelsey sighed. "It's both your faults. I'm tired of hearing the insults and seeing the fighting and having to deal with people getting upset with whom I decide to spend time with. You guys made a hard decision impossible because you're both acting like children fighting over a toy and I've said over and over that I'm not something you can just fight over." She said, seeing them hang their heads in shame. "Right now, I don't wanna be with either of you." Kelsey said before walking out of the room.

* * *

><p>Later that day after most of the boys left, Kelsey and Brooke came down the stairs of the house, fully dressed for the day. "You wear too much gray." Brooke said, jokingly to Kelsey. "Well you're wearing too much pink." She said, poking at the pink jeans that Brooke was wearing. "So you and Tyler are good right?" Kelsey asked as they walked into the living room. "Yeah were fine. It was actually kinda nice to see how upset he got at the thought of losing me. I like being loved that much." Brooke said with a smile and Kelsey nodded approvingly. "How are you feeling being boyfriend-less?" Brooke asked. Kelsey was really upset after telling her about what happened in the study earlier and Brooke didn't really know what to do other than just let Kelsey vent and cry. "I'm better." Kelsey said, picking up a pillow and putting it in her lap. "I'm relieved actually. I don't have to constantly rack my brain trying to make a decision between them." She said and Brooke nodded. "This might actually help you, Kels. You'll be able to look at things unbiasedly to see if you want Reid, Pogue, or something completely different." She said and Kelsey agreed. "Right now, different sounds nice." She said and as she did, her mother, and Brooke's parents came into the room.<p>

"Well if that's how you feel, I think we came in on the right part of you girls' conversation." Alec said and Brooke smiled at her stepdad. "What are you talking about, Alec?" Kelsey asked, intrigued. "Your graduation presents." Melinda, Brooke's mom, said. "I thought the Birkin Bags were our presents." Brooke said and Evelyn shook her head. "The bags were part of the present. These are the other part." Evelyn said, handing the girls two envelopes. Brooke and Kelsey looked at each other confusedly before opening the envelopes and squealed in shock. "You guys are sending us to Paris for the summer?" Brooke exclaimed and hugged her parents. "This is amazing. Thank you guys so much!" Kelsey said, hugging her mother. "Now, there's two tickets in the envelope that Kelsey has and enough money to get you through the summer and cover all your expenses on the debit cards in the envelop Brooke has." Evelyn said as the girls began switching parents to hug. "What about Sarah?" Melinda asked and both girls raised an eyebrow. "We thought we'd leave that choice up to you. We told Sarah's parents that we were thinking of sending you two to Paris but we didn't know if you two wanted her to go with you or not so we didn't get the ticket or make the arrangements like we did for you two. But if you want her to…" Alec started, looking at Kelsey and Brooke. "We know that she's close to you two…" Melinda said and Evelyn jumped in. "But we didn't want to force her on you two as well." Brooke and Kelsey exchanged a few looks, able to come to a consensus without saying anything. "Just me and Brookie." Kelsey said and Brooke nodded. "This is gonna be an awesome summer."

* * *

><p><strong>So voila! There's my shocker that I said people might get angry at me for. Kelsey isn't with Reid OR Pogue right now. <strong>

**The next chapter will be everyone saying good bye for the summer and then Chapter 5 will start the time jump to the fall. We're gonna get a few new characters too because of this because it's inevitable to meet people at college. I'll probably post them on my Polyvore page once I nail down exactly how many new characters I need and who I want them to be. I'm also posting the outfits for this chapter too. **

**I also want to give a nice, big THANK YOU to Sneezy24/Ks24, sPaRkzZz, rachelle, mouichi, WitchRavenFox, BLooDYMaRa, and victoria4911 for your reviews. Knowing that there are people reading this and that they like it keeps me writing it. And THANK YOU if you do read this and don't write a review. I'm glad you like it, or at least checked it out.**

**Anywhozzle, it's after 9 in the morning and I haven't slept yet, so I'm going to. Or at least try to. Until next time.**


	4. UpdateOne Shot

So, I feel bad for not updating this... I am working on it but it's not coming as quickly as I want it to. Mainly because I've become obsessed with Tumblr RP-ing so my focus kinda shifted and stayed there. And most recently (for like the past month), I've been in this truly amazing Next Generation One Tree Hill RP that has taken all my attention (helping to fill the void that the show's series finale put in my life and meeting awesome people that love the show as much as I do).

The point of this is: I HAVE BEEN WRITING... just not this.

And I feel bad about it.

So I'm gonna put the link of the RP and my character for it on my **profile page** so you can not only see that I'm not lying, but you can follow along and enjoy what's happening as well (Or you can go on my twitter because I basically posted this same thing there and linked them both in a tweet). This has literally been one of the best RPs I've joined. The other people involved are amazing writers and interacting with them makes me push harder to get on their level. So this inadvertently benefits you guys as well. They make me better and I put out better content for you . It's a win/win for us all.

Words cannot express how attached I am to this group and how much I love the people there and what we're doing with it. And if you want to, feel free to audition and join us. We're all very nice and welcoming people… Just don't mind the dose of crazy you get in the ooc blog.

But I am going to update **very very soon**. I already have the chapter planned out. I just need to get out of the emotional wreck I'm in over what's going on in Tree Hill.

I'm also posting the Christmas One Shot below so if you haven't read it, you have the chance to. Lots of Caleb/Brooke insight there that carries over into the main story

Charnaye

* * *

><p>Kelsey ran down the stairs of her house and towards the foyer, running into her brother as she approached the doorway. "No matter how old you are, you always get excited for Christmas." Caleb said, wrapping his arm around his younger sister. "And no matter how young you are, you never seem to get why I love it soo much. Where's the Christmas enthusiasm, big brother?" Kelsey asked, sitting on the couch by the already burning fireplace and wrapping herself in the blanket that was draped on the couch. "I am excited, Kels. I'm just not as excited as you." he said, sitting next to her and putting her legs in his lap. "Did you talk to Sarah yet?" Kelsey asked and Caleb nodded. "You talk to Reid?" he asked not looking over at her. "Yeah, I did actually." She said, playfully hitting his shoulder. "Pogue too?" Caleb said, looking at Kelsey with a smirk on his face. "Yeah, he called too." She said, hitting her brother's arm again, this time with a little more force. "Your bias is showing, Cay." Ever since Pogue told Caleb that he wanted to be with Kelsey, Caleb had been surprisingly encouraging and pushing that relationship rather than Kelsey's relationship with Reid, despite his agreement to back off his sister's personal life. He said that he'd respect whatever decision Kelsey decided to make, whether it was to be with Pogue or Reid, but that didn't mean that he couldn't make his opinion known.<p>

"Sorry." he said with a smile on his face, which made Kelsey roll her eyes. "What'd they say?" Caleb asked, turning his head towards the door as he heard footsteps coming towards them from the hallway. "They said they'd meet up with us later at the estate. Ty and Reid are going to pick Brooke up from her grandparents beforehand though. Is Sarah coming?" Kelsey asked her brother, when he turned back to her. "No. She's stuck in Minnesota until about New Year's Eve." he said as their mother walked into the room, packages in her hands.

"Merry Christmas." she said, sitting on the couch next to Caleb. "Merry Christmas, Mother." Both Caleb and Kelsey said as the kitchen staff started bringing breakfast in the room. "Present time?" Kelsey asked, her eyes lighting up like she was 6 instead of 16. Caleb and Evelyn laughed and nodded, as Kelsey began clapping and got up from of the couch to get packages from under their Christmas tree. "These are for you." she said, handing two small boxes to him. "What is it?" he asked, shaking each box, but Kelsey just moved her arms around and, signaling him to open them. "Kels." he said looking inside the first box and pulling out a watch from one box and a key from the other. "The key isn't just from me. Mom and I picked it out." she said, looking over at Evelyn with a warm smile. "Picked out what?" Caleb asked hesitantly. "A new car sweetheart." Evelyn said and Caleb's eyes got wide. "Your car got trashed when that fight with Chase happened and I'm tired of watching you drive around in that your beat up gray BMW Cay. No amount of magic will fix it." Kelsey said and Caleb smiled to himself. "Thank you both." he said to his mother and sister. Then, he moved and pulled two presents from under the tree and handed one to Kelsey and the other to Evelyn. "I love presents." Kelsey sang to herself as she opened the box and pulled out a designer bag. "Almost as much as I love you big brother!" she said, moving from her seat by the tree to hug Caleb for her gift. "This won't even be out until spring." Evelyn smiled and hugged her son after opening the bracelet he got her. "Before I forget, this is for you mother." Kelsey said, pushing a box out from behind the tree and over towards her mother. "Kelsey, you didn't have to get me anything." Evelyn said, opening the gift. "I know, but I wanted to." she said, sitting back on the couch next to Caleb. "Sweetheart, it's beautiful." Evelyn said, revealing a blown up picture of herself, Caleb, and Kelsey in front of the staircase taken at this past thanksgiving. "It was one of the few times that I actually felt like we were an actual family and I wanted to remember it. The only thing that would have made it better was..." Kelsey trailed off and Evelyn nodded knowingly. "I miss him too, sweetheart." she said and Kelsey nodded. "Anyway, I thought you'd want to put it in the study or in your office maybe." she said pointing at the picture. "What a wonderful idea. Thank you Kelsey." Evelyn said, reaching for her daughter's hand from behind the couch. "The small purple box is yours Kelsey." Evelyn said and Kelsey picked up the box and opened it, revealing a key similar to her brothers. "You didn't think I'd buy your brother a car and not get you one too? You've had that car since you got your learner's permit and it's seen better days." Evelyn said and Caleb agreed. "That's for sure." He said, recalling the many times Kelsey crashed her car while she was learning to drive. "Caleb's car is gray and yours is blue." Evelyn said, and both Caleb and Kelsey nodded. "Let's keep going with presents. I know you guys are meeting up with your friends later and I have final arrangements for the Christmas Party to organize." She said and they kept going with their Christmas morning.

After a few hours of more presents and breakfast, Caleb and Kelsey got ready to meet up with their friends at the old Danver's estate. They were dressed for the party, because the plan was to go their straight from meeting their friends. "One last ride in the old car before we start with the upgrades?" Kelsey asked, pointing to her brother's old car as they walked outside with their friends presents in their hands. "Sounds like a plan." Caleb said, putting the bags in the back and getting in the driver's side as Kelsey got in the passenger side.

"So what'd you get for Sarah?" Kelsey asked as Caleb started driving the familiar road to their family's old house. "Tell me it's not jewelry." Caleb lifted an eyebrow and questioned his sister. "And what if it is?" He asked and Kelsey let out a heavy sigh. "You'll scare her away. I mean yeah, you guys like each other and you can never go wrong with diamonds, but you've only known her for a few months. That might give off the whole 'let's get serious too fast vibe'." Kelsey said and Caleb nodded. "I didn't get her jewelry. I got her a bag like yours. Different designer though, I think." He said and Kelsey looked at the pile of presents in the back seat. "Then who's the little box from Tiffany's from?" She asked and Caleb looked forward. "Brooke." He said and Kelsey's eyes grew wide. "My best friend Brooke?" She asked and Caleb nodded. "But you're dating Sarah. And she's with Tyler." Kelsey said and Caleb nodded. "I know. But I saw it while I was shopping and it reminded me of Brooke. So I bought it for her. It's no big deal." He said and Kelsey rolled her eyes and sighed. "You are such a guy. You have no idea what the power of jewelry has over the opposite sex." She said and Caleb laughed. "It's just a bracelet, Kels." He said and Kelsey shook her head. "That's what you think, Caleb. But it's soo much more than that. And even if that's how your brain works, think about this: Why didn't you get your girlfriend the bracelet and Brooke the bag?" She asked as they pulled into the driveway, seeing that the others were already there.

"Merry Christmas!" Kelsey called into the room filled with her friends and instantly hugged her best friend. "Merry Christmas, Kels." Brooke said as the two girls spun around the room. "Did you die when you saw the bag Caleb got you?" She asked and Kelsey looked at her questioningly. "How'd you know what he got me?" She asked and Brooke sighed. "He asked me for help to get you and Sarah's presents." She said and Kelsey looked back at her brother. "Did he now?" She asked and Brooke nodded. "Yeah he did. Now is it present time or what, because it's cold and we have that Christmas party thing and it's freezing out here. Especially in a dress." Brooke said and they all nodded.

The two girls both handed each other miniature boxes and laughed when they saw that they had sort of got one another the same thing. "Great minds think alike, I guess." Kelsey said, holding up the charm that Brooke got her for the charm bracelets they exchanged when they were younger. "At least it's not the same charm." Brooke said, putting hers on the bracelet.

"Here you go, Kels." Tyler said, handing her a box. "Please tell me it's what I think it is." She said, opening it. "Now we can play Call of Duty online together and you don't always have to steal my copy of the other one." Tyler said as Kelsey pulled the video game out of the box. "Black Ops and Dead Space 2. Nice, baby boy." Kelsey said, hugging the boy then turning to face Pogue and Reid. "I'll go first." Pogue volunteered, handing Kelsey the box he had in his hand. "Pogue…" Kelsey said, mesmerized by the snow globe that she took out of the box. "And it has butterflies in it." She said, lightly shaking it to see the flurries circle the globe. "Thank you so much." She said, reaching over and hugging him.

"My turn, Mini Danvers." Reid said and Kelsey walked over to her boyfriend. "Merry Christmas." He said, handing her a small box. "Reid." She said, opening the box and revealing a diamond butterfly necklace. "You like it?" He asked and Kelsey shook her head. "I love it." She said wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank you soo much." She said and Brooke smiled at Caleb.

"Christmas score: Pogue 0; Reid 1." She whispered in his ear and he chuckled. "For now. The night's still young." He said and Brooke glared at him, a smirk on her face. "Yes it is." She said and then cleared her throat. "Put it on her, Garwin. I wanna see how the blingity bling looks." Brooke said walking over towards them and Pogue went over to Caleb. "What was that about?" He asked, and Caleb shrugged his shoulders. "A friendly competition." He said and Pogue laughed. "Friendly my ass. You're into Brooke." He said and Caleb shook his head. "I have a girlfriend. And not to mention, she has a boyfriend." Caleb said and Pogue nodded. "I know. But that doesn't mean that you don't like Brooke either. You don't act like that when Sarah's around, man." He said and Caleb rubbed the back of his neck. "Brooke, do you want your present now or later?" He asked and Brooke stopped admiring the necklace around Kelsey's neck and turned to Caleb. "Later sounds better because I don't have yours right now. Is during the party okay?" She asked and Caleb nodded. "And these are you guys'." Kelsey said, taking three boxes out of the bag she had and handing them to Pogue, Reid and Tyler. "Nice, Kels." Tyler said as the three of them looked at the custom watches she got them. "Let's go to the party before the parental units blow a gasket." Kelsey said and they all headed upstairs, but Kelsey made Brooke walk slightly behind the rest of them.

"Did something happen between you and Sarah to make us not like her anymore? Or did you and Tyler get into some kind of fight and forget to tell me?" she asked and Brooke chuckled. "No. What are you getting at Kels?" Brooke asked and Kelsey sighed. "You and my brother are awfully flirty." Kelsey said and Brooke's eyes got wide in disbelief. "Don't think so, Kels." She said and Kelsey nodded. "Stop being a big fat liar. You're forgetting that I know your flirting tricks like they're my own mainly because some of them are. Since when have you liked my brother?" Kelsey asked and Brooke didn't say anything at first. "Your brother is dating Sarah." She said after a few minutes. "And you really think that she can compete with you if you went after him? Be serious Brooke." Kelsey said and Brooke laughed. "Are you forgetting that I'm dating Tyler?" She asked and Kelsey shook her head. "That doesn't mean that you can't like Caleb too. You can like more than one person you know." Kelsey said and Brooke chuckled. "If anyone knows that, it would be you." She said and Kelsey put her hand on her chest and faked like she was hurt. "Low blow, Brookie." She said and Brooke laughed. "Sorry, Kels." She said, extending her arms to hug her friend and Kelsey reciprocated. "I just don't want you to put yourself in the same situation that I'm in." Kelsey said and Brooke nodded. "And that's not a place I wanna be either." Brooke said then let go of Kelsey and took a step back. "I will admit that there's a little bit of an attraction between me and Caleb but I REALLY like Ty, Kels. I have for a while and I wouldn't do anything to hurt him." She said and Kelsey smiled. "I wouldn't do that to Sarah either. She's been a good friend to both of us through all the chaos going on over the past few months, Kels." She said, looping arms with Kelsey and walking to meet the guys outside. "And if it's a good enough friendship, it'll stay that way no matter what. But if not, we still have each other. Three's a crowd anyway." Kelsey said, as they got to Caleb's car. "Why are you so calm about this?" Brooke asked and Kelsey chuckled. "Because I don't overreact like my older brother does. And besides, I've dreamt about you two getting married since we were little cause it'd make you my sister. But honestly, Tyler's good for you. Perfect for you actually. You're the ying to his yang." She said before Brooke nodded and walked over to Tyler's car. "We're all going to our house right?" Caleb called out and they all nodded. "We'll follow you guys." Tyler said and Reid grabbed the keys from Tyler's hand and jumped in the driver's seat.

"You like Brooke don't you?" Kelsey asked while Caleb was driving. "I have a girlfriend and she has a boyfriend." He said and Kelsey sighed. "That's not what I asked you." She said and Caleb laughed. "Me and Brooke are friends." He said, briefly turning to his sister and seeing her look at her phone. "But you want to be more." She said, lifting up her head and looking up at her brother. "I didn't say that." He said, turning back to the road. "There's no need. The sexual tension between you two is obvious." Kelsey said and Caleb chuckled. "Why are you pushing this, Kels?" He asked, and Kelsey laughed. "I'm not. I'm just being a nosy little sister and a concerned friend. It's in my job description." She said as they pulled up to their house. "But since you don't wanna tell me and in case you wanna try anything, just know that I don't recommend doing it. It's been a while since Brooke's been in a relationship and she's really happy with Tyler. Not to mention that you and Sarah have been through a lot in a short period of time and you share a special bond. Don't turn this into a more complicated version of the situation with me, Pogue and Reid. Leave well enough alone, Cay." Kelsey said, getting out the car and walking over to the door and entering the party. "I never intended on doing…" Caleb started but stopped when Kelsey put her hand up and walked to their front door.

Once they were inside and after their mother made a speech about the holidays and family being important, everyone scattered around the party. Caleb scanned the room and saw Brooke talking to a few girls they went to school with. "Can I talk to you?" He asked, leading Brooke over to the door. "This is for you." He said, handing her a small box. "And this is yours." She said, taking a box out her purse. "I thought you didn't have it." He said and she nodded. "I had left it in the Hummer earlier." She said and they both started opening the gifts. "The guy in the store said it was supposed to bring luck." She said, as he took the necklace out the box and stared at it. "Thanks, Brooke." He said and Brooke looked into the box in front of her and gasped. "Caleb, it's gorgeous." She said as Caleb took the bracelet out the box and put it on her wrist. "Thank you." She said, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him. Caleb returned the hug and held Brooke closer than he normally would. And when Brooke started to pull away from him, he leaned down and kissed her, lightly at first, but then deeper and more passionately when Brooke reciprocated the kiss. A few minutes later, someone cleared their throats, and Caleb and Brooke quickly pulled apart from each other.

"Your mom is looking for you. She's about to make the Christmas toast." Reid said and Brooke looked up at Caleb. "Don't… Ever do that again." She said before walking back inside the party. "Don't say it, Reid." Caleb said, looking at the look on Reid's face. "Don't worry about it." He said and the two of them walked back into the main room. "Your brother was just making out with Brooke." He said, wrapping his arms around Kelsey's waist. "Yay." She said sarcastically, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. "I take it that this upsets you?" Reid asked after pulling away after a few minutes. "I told him not to do anything like that because Kelsey and Baby Boy are good together. But obviously he didn't listen to me. And we have our own drama to attend to, so I'm not getting involved in there's." She said, as the waiters starting passing out champagne flutes filled with cider for the toast. "I'll toast to that." He said and they clicked their glasses together. "Do we all have glasses?" Evelyn asked and everyone raised their glasses. "To spending the holiday with family, friends and loved ones. Merry Christmas."


	5. Chapter 4 Finally

**I finally have another chapter! You guys need to thank Blake Shelton. See, I was lying in bed at a quarter to 4 this morning, listening to my iPod and re-reading one of my other stories because I couldn't sleep. Then out of nowhere, 'She Wouldn't Be Gone' came on and I instantly started thinking about Reid and this story, so I jumped out of bed and grabbed a notebook to write. That wasn't working out so, I turned my laptop back on, went to work, and tada chapter 4 is now done.**

**So, please enjoy, I'm sorry for such the long wait for it, and I hope the chapter was worth it**

* * *

><p>Chapter 4<p>

Kelsey let out a heavy sigh as she and Brooke finished loading the car with their luggage to take them to the airport. They had both asked everyone to meet them at the manor instead of going to the airport so things wouldn't get messy and chaotic. They both turned to look at their friends and family and gave them light smiles. "Where's Garwin?" Brooke asked as everyone shrugged their shoulders in response to her. "Is he that pissed at me for breaking up with him that he won't even say goodbye to me?" Kelsey said to herself and Brooke rubbed her shoulder in an act of comfort, knowing that Kelsey still has feelings for Reid and him not being here hurt her more than she was willing to let show. "He still has a few minutes to show up. But let's get the goodbye's started before someone starts crying." Brooke said, making everyone lightly laugh. "We'll be back before you know it." Kelsey said and Brooke nodded before walking over to Tyler and wrapping her arms around him. He started rubbing her back and kissed her head when he heard the sniffles coming from his girlfriend.

"You're gonna have so much fun, babe." He said into her hair and she just sighed and looked up at him and wiped away stray tears. "You're supposed to tell me that you don't want me to go." Brooke said and he chuckled and kissed her. "I don't want you to go. Feel better?" He whispered to her as he pulled away from her and Brooke shook her head. "No. But I love you for humoring me." She leaned into him and Kelsey looked over at them and smiled. "I'll take good care of her, Ty. I promise." She said and Tyler nodded. "I love you, pretty girl." He said and Brooke smiled and kissed him again. "I love you, too. I'll skype you when we get there." Brooke reluctantly pulled away from her boyfriend and turned over to Caleb.

"Are you gonna miss me?" He asked and Brooke sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "I guess so. Just don't taint her while I'm gone." She said signaling to Sarah and smiled. "I've worked hard to get her to act somewhat like me and Kelsey and I don't need you reversing the progress I've made." Brooke walked over to Sarah and hugged her friend before being pulled into another one by Caleb. "I'm gonna miss you." He whispered into her ear and Brooke nodded. "Me too." Caleb discretely kissed the nape of Brooke's neck, surprising her and making her look at him in confusion. "What was…" She started but he shook his head and kissed her cheek. "Well talk when you get back." Brooke looked around at everyone around them and just nodded her head, completely at a loss of words. Noticing that no one noticed the encounter, Brooke quickly regained herself and pulled completely let go of Caleb and turned to Pogue.

"Get over here, grease monkey." Pogue chuckled and walked over to Brooke and gave her a hug. The two of them had their issues from time to time, but at the end of the day, both Brooke and Pogue knew that they'd always be friends; even if they bickered like brother and sister. "Have a good time, B." He said and Brooke nodded her head. "Don't buy everything you see." Brooke pulled away and grinned up at Pogue. "No promises." Brooke let go of Pogue before turning to her best friend and smiling. "Your turn, Kels."

* * *

><p>Kelsey walked over to Tyler and hugged him, feeling him lightly squeeze her in his arms. "You better be careful." He said and Kelsey nodded. "Do you really think Brooke's gonna let me do anything bad?" She asked and Tyler briefly looked over towards his girlfriend then back at her. "Yes. But don't do anything that'll make them try to keep you in France." Kelsey pulled away from him and nodded before giving him a kiss on the cheek and walking over to her brother.<p>

"Are you gonna be okay without me, big brother?" She asked and Caleb chuckled and shook his head. "I'm never okay without you, baby sister." He said and pulled her into his arms. "I hate saying goodbye to you. I've done it too many times already." Kelsey said, feeling herself beginning to tear up. Caleb chuckled and stroked his sister's hair. "You'd think you'd be used to it by now. But this time, you'll be back." He said and Kelsey nodded. "You and Brooke are gonna have an awesome time." Kelsey pulled away and looked up at her brother in confusion. "I've never heard you say the word 'awesome' before." They both laughed and Caleb kissed her forehead. Then, Kelsey and Sarah quickly exchanged goodbyes and hugged before Kelsey turned her attention to Pogue.

"So I get a goodbye from you?" He asked and Kelsey sighed. "Of course, Pogue." She said before moving in for a hug. She felt his arms wrap tightly around her waist and couldn't help but nuzzle his neck. "I'm gonna miss you." Pogue said softly into her ear and Kelsey nodded and enjoyed the feeling in his embrace. "I'm gonna miss you too, Pogo." She replied, making Pogue lightly chuckle at her nickname for him. "And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have pressured you the way I did. I can't speak for Reid, but I know I was out of line for forcing you to make a decision like that on the spot." Kelsey slightly pulled away from him so they were face to face and Pogue smiled at her. "I really hope this time away gives you clarity and helps you change your mind." He lifted one of his hands to her chin, lightly tilted Kelsey's head to the side, and gently kissed her on the cheek before completely pulling away from her. "I love you." He said and Kelsey just looked up at him, unaware of what she should say.

* * *

><p>"Garwin's a no show." Brooke said, bringing Kelsey back into the moment and nodding her head in agreement with her best friend. "And we can't wait anymore. We need to get to the airport." The two of them walked over to the car that their parents arranged to take them and gave their friends one last wave before getting in the car and started the route for the airport. "Can you believe we're going to Paris, Brooke?" Kelsey asked and Brooke just nodded and stared out the window, staring at the scenery of their town past them. "You're upset about leaving Tyler, I get it. But don't let that ruin our trip, B. You'll have plenty of time to spend with him when we get back before we leave for college." Brooke let out a deep sigh and looking at Kelsey. "You remember that honors program we applied for after we knew that we were going to Yale?" She asked and Kelsey nodded. "How could I forget the program that rejected us?" Brooke shook her head and Kelsey's eyes grew wide. "You got in? When did this happen?" Brooke looked down into her lap and started messing with one of the holes in her jeans. "I found out a few weeks ago. They called me and said that there was some kind of clerical error and I had actually gotten in." Kelsey shook her head in disbelief, slightly upset at the fact that Brooke kept it from her. "So when do you have to be at Yale?" Kelsey asked "About a week after we get back." Brooke said sheepishly and Kelsey's eyes widened. "Does Ty know about this?" She asked and Brooke nodded her head. "That's why I'm so upset about leaving. I only have a week with him once we get back." Kelsey leaned back in the seat next to Brooke and folded her arms across her chest. "And a week with me." She said and Brooke leaned forward and raised one of her eyebrows. "You get me now and when we're at Yale. That week is dedicated to him and only. Sorry, kid."<p>

* * *

><p>Once they pulled up to the airport and their luggage was checked in, Kelsey and Brooke started walking to the gate of their flight. "First class? Our parents must really love us." Kelsey said and Brooke chuckled. "Or maybe they just really wanted to get rid of us and didn't want to hear us complain." They both laughed and started walking until they faintly heard someone calling Kelsey's name in the distance, making them both stand still. "You hear that?" Kelsey asked and Brooke nodded her head as the voice got louder. "It sounds like…" She started but cut herself off when she turned and saw Reid running towards them. "Took you long enough, Garwin." She said, once he got to them and Kelsey looked at him in shock. "You literally have two minutes. We have a flight to catch." Brooke said and Reid nodded at her quickly before giving her a hug. Then, Brooke turned around and continued walking towards the gate, giving Reid and Kelsey a few minutes of privacy.<p>

"What are you doing here?" Kelsey asked and Reid smiled at her. "You really didn't think I'd let you leave the country without saying goodbye now, did you?" He asked and Kelsey shrugged. "I just thought that after…" she started but Reid cut her off. "I understand why you did that. And in some ways, I'm glad you did. It evens things out in your head. And it showed me something that I wasn't getting before." He said and Kelsey looked at him confused. "What's that?" She asked and Reid chuckled. "You showed me that I need to stop thinking about whatever it is that Pogue does and focus on you. You're what's important to me. And I'm gonna do whatever it takes to show you that when you get back, regardless of everything else. I'm gonna get you back, Baby Girl." Before Kelsey could say anything, Reid leaned down and gently kissed her. It started off slowly at first, but when he felt Kelsey reciprocate the kiss, he deepened it, pulling her closer to him and wrapping one of his arms tightly around her waist and snaking the other one through her hair. Kelsey wrapped her arms around his neck and was beginning to lose herself in the kiss until she heard her gate number being called over the loud speaker and pulled away from Reid. "I have to go." She said as he leaned his forehead on hers. "_Au revoir pour l'instant, mon amour_*." He said and Kelsey smiled at his Italian. "_Au revoir, ma chérie_**. I'll see you when I get back." She said and started walking towards the gate, getting lost in the sea of people going in her direction. "I'm the guy for you, Kelsey Danvers! And when you get back, I'll prove it!" She heard him call out from behind her and smiled to herself as she continued walking.

* * *

><p><strong>I had to throw in the One Tree Hill reference (Season 3 premiere, at the beach party. "I'm the guy for you, Brooke Davis." Gotta love some Brucas.) It was in my notes from a while back to make Reid do that too so I couldn't leave it out…<strong>

**Anyway, next chapter is a time jump to Brooke and Kelsey coming back from Paris and they'll be a lot of Tyler/Brooke fluffiness… Maybe some Reid/Kelsey fluff but I'm not sure yet. There also might be some kind of welcome back dinner or something but I haven't completely nailed down what I'm gonna have in the next chapter yet so I'm not sure. (And if you have ideas, I'm more than happy to hear them).**

**I do know that this was the last chapter that'll have Sarah in it. Caleb will explain what happened in chapter 5 but she's dunzo…**

**Anyway, I'm sorry for making y'all wait sooo long for me to update this. But, this is me attempting to get back in the swing of things.**

**Charnaye**

**Translations:  
><strong>

***Au revoir pour l'instant, mon amour = Bye for now, my love**

********Au revoir, ma chérie = Goodbye, my darling**

**(I got these from google translate because I've never taken French a day in my life. So if they're wrong, I blame the internet)**


	6. Chapter 5a

**SOOOOOOOOOO... **

**It's been a while everyone. A while being like a year and a half or something.. Maybe even two years cause the last update I posted (that's gone now) was me saying that this was coming but it never came. So regardless, I'm sorry :(... I'm sorry that's it's been a long time. Some stuff has gone down in my life and in my head and writing this stuff was not where it was at. But one of my goal of the new year (I don't make resolutions cause they always fail) is to get my mojo back on my writing. And that starts with getting back to sitting myself down in front of a blank word document and letting my mind just do it's thing. So I'm gonna stop rambling here (I'll ramble more at the bottom A/N) but for now, enjoy the beginning of Chapter 5. **

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 5a<strong>_

Coming back from Paris at the end of the summer was honestly something that Kelsey had dreaded from the second she stepped on the plane. For her, it meant saying hello to all her friends and loved ones again only to say goodbye weeks later when they all went off to college. It truly signified the ending of an era and Kelsey was sad for it to be over.

"Stop dragging your feet." Brooke said exasperatedly. "We're still going home whether you like it or not." She said as the two of them left luggage claim and began heading out of the airport and towards the town car that had been sent for them to take them back to the Danver's mansion. "I am not dragging my feet. This place is just crowded." Kelsey replied with slight hesitance. She knew that Brooke wanted to get home to see Tyler and she wanted to oblige her friend but, another reason she was hesitating on going home was seeing Reid. She hadn't seen or spoken to him since he came to see her off at the beginning of her and Brooke's trip and she didn't really know what she was going to say to him. "Don't be a pussycat. Face him like a woman." Brooke said to her friend, practically reading Kelsey's mind and making her laugh in the process. "You confuse me, B. I thought you didn't like Reid anymore." Kelsey pointed out as the girls walked outside and spotted a driver holding a sign with their names on it, wheeling their luggage over so they could start packing it into the car. "Me and Reid have a... special bond-" Brooke said only to be cut off by Kelsey. "You mean the one where you both bicker and despise one another but you bond over your love for me?" She replied boastfully only to have her bubble busted quickly. "Actually, we bond over Baby Boy but what you said is kinda true too." Brooke said before letting a smile come to her face. "Actually, speaking of Baby Boy..." She said and Kelsey smiled and finished her friend's thought process. "I know, I know... I'm gonna get you to your boy. You don't have to keep dropping hints." She said with a fake exasperated look as she got in the car with her friend to go home.

* * *

><p>If Reid had told you that he had been fearful about seeing Kelsey after being apart the entire summer, you would've shit bricks because It was actually the truth. Ever since their kiss she was all he thought about but the one person who didn't know that was Kelsey. He agreed to give her space, to set her free and let her see the world and let her come back to him on her own but because he didn't know what she had done or if it would jeopardize things. Sure, he heard from Baby Boy who got nightly Skype calls from Brooke, but he didn't know if it was fully true or not, mainly because he didn't know how deep Brooke's hooks were in his friend and he wasn't sure if she'd get him to lie for her. Considering that he and Brooke started the summer on good terms, she really had no real reason to keep things from him. Granted, they hadn't spoken the entire time she was gone either, he considered Brooke to be on his side when it came to Kelsey, regardless of the stunt he pulled at graduation.<p>

"When do they get in again?" Reid asked impatiently, shifting on the couch in the foyer of the Danver's mansion with Tyler, Caleb, and Pogue. "They should be on their way here." Tyler said, looking down at his phone for the time, being one of the few who had actually spoken to the girls while they were away. "Brooke said something about calling Mathew to be here. Sarah too. Do you think we should have done that?" He asked and Caleb instantly shook his head no.

"We'll get Mathew to come out with us later or something and I'll be the bad guy and tell them no about Sarah." He said before moving from the couch. "That means I get to see them first though." He said with a knowing tone, knowing full well that Reid and Pogue would probably trample one another to get to Kelsey and Tyler wanted to get to Brooke as fast as he could. Hell yeah, it was selfish of him but at that moment, he didn't care. He missed his sister and really wanted to see Brooke and getting to her before Tyler had the chance to just felt right to him, despite the complete wrongness of the situation.

"You get five minutes and not a second more, you hear me? Or else I won't be held responsible for my actions." Reid said, making sure the seriousness in his tone rang through. "I second that." Pogue agreed, never being one for many words but the ones he said were almost always important. "And for once, I agree with them both." Tyler finished. He knew that his opinions or final thoughts were usually a deal maker or breaker or a tie maker between his brothers but for once, they were all on the same page because of the only people they actually agreed on: Kelsey and Brooke. "Fine. Five minutes is good for now." Caleb agreed with them, not wanting to fight with them. He was clearly outnumbered and that automatically meant that he'd lose if they actually came to blows and he didn't want that no matter how much they deserved it at times. Besides, it wasn't like he wouldn't get some time alone with them anyway after this little welcome home thing anyway; his sister lived there and since Kels was there, that usually meant that about eighty percent of the time, Brooke was too.

* * *

><p>"Do you think I should say something about it or do you think he bragged about it already?" Kelsey asked her friend as they looked out the window of the town car, passing all the familiar surroundings. "Pogue hasn't said anything about talking to you to Reid. And according to Ty, they've been getting along lately so maybe they've matured about the entire situation." Before Kelsey even got the chance to respond to what she said, Brooke instantly began laughing at her own words, realizing how farfetched that seemed. "I'm glad you realized how stupid that sounded and I didn't have to say a thing. This is Reid and Pogue we're talking about." Kelsey said and Brooke stopped her laughing and shook her head. "This is boys in general. They will forever be dumb no matter how old they get and will always fail in comparison to the amazing mind of a woman." One of the things Kelsey adored about her best friend was that she always knew exactly what to say to make her feel better; whether it was a biased judgment or her honest opinion on something she knew that would make her smile, Brooke would blurt it out on the spot and worry about the consequences afterward. She was fearless that way and it gave Kelsey the strength to be that way as well. It was also one of the things she'd miss the most with Brooke at Yale.<p>

Brooke began to snap her fingers to break Kelsey out of whatever zone she had went to, briefly startling Kelsey as she refocused. "Earth to Kelsey Danvers." Brooke said loudly and once she was back in the moment, Kelsey chuckled lightly at the confused and slightly annoyed look on her friend's face. "Where'd you go just now?" Brooke asked right as the car pulled into the all familiar long driveway that they hadn't seen in months, causing them both to fall into a friendly daze as they looked out the window. "I went home."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So this is a two parter... I did have more written at this point but I personally felt that this was a good place to end this and pick up the next part with them seeing one another and coming together. And honestly, I broke it up to force myself to be motivated to write more. I don't like having it unfinished so it's gonna make me keep going with it. **

**Then, I'm gonna kinda go for what is planned out at this point and see if my plans now match with my plans then and rework them if I need to... Basically this update is me telling you guys that I'm working on getting my shit together and getting more updates out for you guys.. Feel free to yell at me on Twitter NayeNaye91 to write more cause the motivation will be appreciated.**

**Thank you soo much for sticking it out with me and holding on to hope that I will finish this, or if you just began reading this in the two years that I haven't been updating, welcome to the journey and get used to these long author notes. Cause I do them all the time.**

**Leave me feedback and I'll talk to you guys in the next update (I forgot how I used to end these so lets just go with this)**


End file.
